Bentley is looking to develop its customisation division, to manufacture bespoke versions of its road vehicles.

Bentley is exploring ways to develop its customisation division, Mulliner, to offer bespoke versions of the carmaker’s road vehicles.

A six-seater version of the Bentley Mulsanne is set to be revealed at the Geneva motor show, and will be called the Bentley Grand Limousine by Mulliner, with each car built to order. Mulliner has long customised car colours and specs to customer requirements, and when asked by our sister publication Autocar UK if the highly re-engineered car signalled a new direction for Mulliner, Bentley boss Wolfgang Dürheimer said: "Yes, I think we can do more.

"Mulliner is an asset with a history nearly 500 years old, but it is not a well-known name and we must change that. It's an asset, both for customers and for us to develop one-off ideas and see where they lead. It is somewhere exceptional ideas can take shape, and small scale ideas can be developed to larger scale ones."

Asked how far Mulliner could go, and if it could revive the art of coachbuilt one-offs, Dürheimer added: "It's possible, yes. The only thing to say is that Stefan Sielaff is the design director, and what he says is the rule. If someone wants a Bentley that looks like a tank, then he will say no.

"But if a customer demands something unusual but tasteful, then why not? We'll explore all ideas - our capabilities do not end with the standard option list, but extend to Mulliner."

Dürheimer also added that customer safety must come first and that any change that could alter the aerodynamics, suspension or weight balance of the vehicles needs careful consideration.

Courtesy : Autocar

The Tata Tiago, earlier named the Zica will be launched in March 2016 and come with both petrol and diesel engines.

Tata Motors’ all new hatchback, the Tata Tiago is all set to be launched in March 2016. The car was renamed from its original name ‘Zica’ due to its uncanny similarities with the Zika Virus that has recently been discovered in parts of Central and South America. The new Tata Tiago will be available with both a petrol and diesel engine and is expected to be priced extremely competitively in order to take on the likes of the Hyundai Grand i10 and the Maruti Suzuki Celerio.

The Tiago will be the first new car to get the updated design language from Tata Motors. The front end will get a well crafted grille and swept back headlamps whereas the rear gets a sporty tailgate and bumper along with an inbuilt spoiler. The Tiago will get 14-inch wheels as standard with the top of the line variants getting alloy wheels.

On the interior front, the Tiago will get a new dashboard with a gloss black centre console and a well crafted infotainment setup. The Tiago does not get a touchscreen but will get an app support feature by which you can stream music and navigation. The new Tiago is also very spacious and has a large boot that can easily carry a large bag.

In terms of engines, the Tiago gets both a petrol and a diesel engine. The petrol is a 1.2-litre 3-cylinder engine that makes 85PS of peak power at 6000rpm and 114Nm of peak torque at 3500rpm. The diesel engine on the other hand will be a 1.0-litre engine that makes 70PS of peak power and 140Nm of peak torque. Both engines are mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox with the possibility of an AMT gearbox in the future. The new Tiago should be priced between Rs 4-6 lakh when launched soon.

Courtesy : Zigwheels

The 8-series is expected to be available in 2020; will rival the Mercedes S-class coupé and Bentley Continental GT.

BMW will revive its 8-series badge with a new flagship model that is expected in 2020. The original car, built between 1989 and 1999, went on to become one of the modern classics on automotive design. The resurrected model will rival its long-time adversary, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class coupé, and the Bentley Continental GT.

The car will make use of mechanicals, and tech from the sixth-generation 7-series that was recently launched in India at the 2016 Auto Expo. According to sources, the model will be built at BMW’s Dingolfing factory in Germany.

Insiders at BMW’s R&D centre in Munich suggest that two differing layouts are being considered – a four-door layout, said to be similar in concept to the BMW 6- series Gran Coupe, albeit bigger, and more luxurious, and alternate body styles which may include a two-door coupé, and a cabriolet.
 
Harald Krueger, chairman, BMW, is personally driving plans to extend the line-up to include additional luxury models. He is eager to push the BMW flagship higher given the continued success and profitability of the Mercedes-Benz S-class and its various derivatives in key markets such as the USA and China.

“With the decision to bring back the 8-series, Krueger is looking at a potentially lucrative revenue stream with high profitability on a per unit basis,” a BMW senior manager revealed to our sister publication, Autocar UK.

BMW is expected to officially showcase the 8-series concept in 2018.

Courtesy :  Autocar

Partners to launch RapidE in 2018; range of next-gen e-vehicles to follow before 2020-end.

Aston Martin has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with technology company LeEco to develop a production version of the Aston Martin RapidE electric vehicle concept. Both the companies have previously worked together, in particular on the new Rapide S model, incorporating the Letv (former name of LeEco) Internet of the Vehicle (IOV) system.

Originally revealed in October last year, the RapidE concept was developed in collaboration with Williams Advanced Engineering. At the time, Aston Martin had revealed plans to partner with ChinaEquity on taking the model to production.

Since the creation of this concept, Aston Martin and Letv have been advancing the work on production feasibility, including the identification of technology solutions for battery systems and powertrains.

LeEco founder Jia Yueting also owns Faraday Future, which showcased its own concept car, the FFZero1, at last month's Consumer Electronics Show  in Las Vegas. The partnership indicates the potential to add a range of next-generation connected electric vehicles on behalf of Aston Martin, LeEco and Faraday Future.

Additionally, Aston Martin and LeEco have announced plans to develop a range of new vehicles before the end of the decade. Both the companies are currently focused on utilising the best technologies from the companies’ portfolios and bringing the RapidE to market in 2018.

Courtesy : Autocar